STORE WARS: J. Crew vs. Your Neighborhood Thrift Store
Starting March 15th and running through April 4th, Dappered.com is hosting a bracket based tournament with the purpose of eventually crowning the all around Affordable Men’s Style Retail Champ for 2011. For a full introduction see this post. To see the updated bracket, click on the image to the right. Make a case for your preferred competitor in the comments section, but don’t forget to vote at the bottom of each match up. On with today’s showdown.
NOTE: Talk about juxtaposition. These two remind me of this scene from The Sandlot.
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Strengths: The top of the non department store food chain. Their run of success over the past few years has been remarkable. Their Ludlow fit, their suits in general, and their sportcoats/blazers are certainly something. They get subtle patterns. They’ve partnered up with some heritage brands to offer unique, almost always incredibly good looking items. Their “Factory” line gives those of us without a huge bankroll an opportunity to get the look at a reasonable price.
Weaknesses: Can get a little too big for their britches sometimes (see the patent pending Muyjens-ometer for examples). Selling a Timex for $175 is ridiculous. Those damn “final sales” when you can’t return items. The high shipping costs from Jcrew.com. Overall, pretty expensive.
Strengths: Short of finding it on the side of the road with a “FREE” sign taped to it, it won’t cost less. Can be a gold mine for classic, well built pieces. True vintage, not made to imitate vintage. Much more than clothes too.
Weaknesses: They’re feast or famine. And it’s almost always famine. You can go to a thrift store once or twice a week for four months and not come across anything worth while. But then you can hit on an incredible blazer and a couple of great ties in the span of a few days. It’s like golf. You swear up and down the course but then you hit one incredible shot and you’re back for more. They’re the penny slots of the style world. Not a lot of harm done if you get hooked, but man can you waste a boatload of time working them.
Your votes determine who goes on to the next round. Cast your ballot below.
UPDATE: Sorry thrift stores. Love what you guys do, but, J. Crew wins in a walk.
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Store Wars: J. Crew vs. Thrift Stores
- J. Crew (69%, 300 Votes)
- Thrift Stores (31%, 136 Votes)
Total Voters: 433
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i own more items from goodwill (4) than from j. crew (2) so ill throw my vote away on goodwill
While I’ve never bought anything from J.Crew, I have done quite a bit of thrifting. Calling it “feast or famine” is pretty generous, even with the “almost always famine” caveat. While I do think it’s a greaty hobby, thrifting can take a lot of time and a lot of driving (read: gasoline). Gotta go with J. Crew on this one, since I at least know what I would be getting.
Is this even a contest? Sure J. Crew is totally not affordable for many people but the quality is far better than thrift stores. I shop at thrift stores and consignment (Buffalo Exchange) almost exclusively, but it’s a task and takes time to find something good. I will say that the J. Crew FACTORY stores are awesome and that may be a better comparison, though I think J. Crew will win in both cases.
I got a LOAD of 2007 J. Crew at my thrift store for under $10 total – cashmere v-neck, camp shirt, oxford, etc. I choose thrift. I can’t even imagine what that would have cost at J. Crew itself.
I shop at thrift stores all the time, but J Crew has some really nice stuff. when i walk into a thrift store more often than not i walk out emptyhanded. shopping J Crew (with enough money) that doesnt happen.
I think this comes down to what “stage” in your knowledge/passion about style you’re at.
If you’re casually interested in style or a “beginner”, you love J. Crew. You know you’ll find good stuff when you go there. Yes, you’ll pay through the nose — you’ll almost always find similar or better items elsewhere for a better price. But it’s a one-stop-shop.
If you take a more serious interest in style / it’s a hobby of yours / you’re “advanced”, you love thrift stores. That’s where you find interesting and unique items that you can’t find anywhere else. You need to have a well-developed eye for what’s good and what’s not, because most stuff is not, and you’ll end up with ugly unstylish things if you’re not careful. But most compliments I get are from the things I bought at thrift stores / vintage stores, not at conventional stores (even though most of my wardrobe was bought at conventional stores). Conventional stores help you “fit in” and look like others do. You have to go to thrift stores, vintage stores, and boutiques to find interesting, unusual things that stand out.
I vote J. Crew because J. Crew and other retailers guarantee the survival of thrift stores. Think about it.
Gotta go with J Crew even if I can very rarely afford their clothes (working in a public school is not as profitable as Wisconsin’s governor would make you believe)
I love love love j.crew ans this was still hard for me. Some of my best items have come from thrift shopping. However I havw found in my area value village us cheaper and usually has nicer better stuff.
I have no patience and, thus, I have no luck whatsoever in thrift stores. It doesn’t help that, as a tall man, things are particularly dire. I never thrift. I never even try, anymore.
That said, J Crew is not my favorite. They have got some nice stuff but they are soooo expensive. Their heritage stuff seems more like a cruel joke – beautiful things that they just dangle in front of my face, both of us knowing that I can never get it. I have a couple things but I got them heavily on sale and they are pretty basic stuff and I will admit that I am always a little disappointed. Sure it is good quality but I always wonder if it is THAT good for THAT price.
This is so brilliant. I’d love for you to come over and do a guest post!
Genius.
Nicole
Thrift Store Confidential
http://www.thriftstoreconfidential.com
I’ve tried to like thrifting but, like Tim, I have had no luck. It’s true that being tall makes it way harder to find anything that fits. Add to that I live in a fairly small city where the inventory of Goodwill does not change very often and I’ve about given up too. Shoe, tie, shirt, blazer, and suit collections all suck. I don’t own much from J Crew but like what I do have so they get my vote.